Railway car construction



w. P. MURPHY 1,868,335

RAILWAY CAR CONSTRUCTION July 19, 1932.

Original Filed Jan. 14, 1929 Patented July 19, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT YOFFICE WALTER P. MURPHY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO UNION METAL yPRODUCTS COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE RAILWAY CAR CONSTRUCTION Original application iled January 14, 1929, Serial No. 332,326. Divided and this application led September 2, 1930. Serial No. 479,135.

The device relates to railway freight cars, particularly, to that class of equipment having doors which are opened or dropped to discharge part or all of the lading.

The object of they invention is to provide a spreader or beam for simultaneous operation of a pair of swingable doors in a railway freight car, which spreader is operated by any of the numerous door raising mechanisms now being marketed. A further object of the invention is to provide such a spreader or beam with spaced apart portions, each of which engages one of the swingable doors so as to permit the door to adjust itself to the frame of the door opening about a substantially vertical axis by a pivotal and/ or slidable movement. Any force applied by the operating mechanism adjacent the middle of the spreader is substantially equally distributed to the two doors, and furthermore, the force transmitted to one of the doors by the spreader is substantially equally distributed to the opposite vertical edges or margins of the door. In my construction, if the op-erating mechanism closes one door first, the operating mechanism continues functioning until the other door is closed; furthermore, if one side of one door reaches closed position first, the operating mechanism continues to operate until the other side of such door reaches closed position; in fact, the mechanism operates until all four edges of the two doors reach closed position.

A further object ofthe invention is to reduce the cost and weight of the spreader and car by forming it of a casting so that the metal can be evenly distributed commensurate with the stresses.

Another object of the invention is to engage the spreader with the door adjacent a stiffening rib or ribs so that the stresses caused by the lifting of the door will not be taken by the body portion of the door.

In the drawing:

Fig. l shows a typical application of my invention to a railway car.

Figs. 2 and 3 show the door and spreader.

Fig. 4 shows a partial side elevation of a car.

Fig. l shows a typical application of my invention to a typical so-called hopper car wherein the lower portion of the car on each side of the center'sills 2 or center' ridge is formed into a hopper, each hopper being provided with a swingable door 3. These doors are kconnected for simultaneous operation -by a spreader et operated by a mechanism connected to the middle portion thereof and positioned between the center sills and under the ridge for protection from the lading and provided with a shaft extending to opposite sides of the car for operation by a wheel or wrench. There are numerous types of hopper dump cars in service on the railways with the hopper so positioned as to discharge the load between the rails and some designed to discharge the load outside of the rails. There are also dump cars used in the coke service having a door sloping toward one sid-e of the car with the side wall comprising a plurality of swingable doors to discharge the coke all on one side of the car. My invention is adaptable to any one of the above described cars, or in fact, to any car having two or more doors simultaneously closed by a single operative mechanism.

In Figs. 2 and 3 each end of the spreader is formed of U-shaped construction 48 which overlaps the reinforcing central web 49 of the door and is secured thereto by the bolt 50. The inner portions 51 of the terminal U construction of the spreader are preferably formed on arcs so that the door may rock vertically and/or horizontally upon the spreader or vice versa.

In some cars the spreaders are extended to engageflocking mechanisms supported by and secured to the side of the car. A common form of locking mechanism comprises a hook 7 0 which falls into place by gravity and engages the extremities 71 of the spreader, which hook is held in place by a locking cam 7 2. In some cars these outside locking mechanisms constitute the only means of holding the spreader and the doors in closed position. When it is desired to use such a locking mechanism I extend my spreaders, so that their extremities may engage such locking mechanisms.

The accompanying drawing illustrates the l eners adjacent preferred form of the invention, though it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the eXact details of constructlon lshown and described, as it is obvious that various modifications thereof within the scope of the claims will yoccur to persons skilled 'in the art.

V'Ihis is a division of my co-pending applil c'atonSerialNog-332,326, led .Ianiiary 14,#

I claim:

1. In a railway car, a pair ofhingeddumping doors, each having abody portion with a flange adjacent its perimeter, and ysti'feners extending between opposite corners of the door, a spreader having-spaced apart por-A tions, each loosely securedto said sti-tieners adjacent their intersection, and a-.door op eratingv. mechanism attached to said spreaders adjacent the centerv thereof.

2. In a railway car, a pair ofhinged du1np. ing doors, each yhaving-av bodypart provided. with a reinforcingy web, a spreader having.

spaced lapart kUrshaped portions, each straddling the'reinforcinfg web of one of said doors, and means to retain the portions in operative engagement/'with lthe web. 3.-. Ina railway car-,a pair of hinged dumpingv doors, each having a body partprovided v'with a reinforcing web formed: with a straight central member with other members 'extending to the corners of the. door, a

spreaderhaving: spaced apart U-shaped por- -tions, Veach straddling the reinforcing web of, one, of'said doors, land `means tov retain the; portions in :operative engagement with. thet web..

straddling,thelreinforcing web ofone of said doorsand pivotally secured thereto.

5. Ina railwayrcar, a'pair of hinged. dump Ting doors, each having.` a body-part provided-v With a reinforcing web, a spreader:havingV spaced.; apart U-:shaped l portions;Y each*v straddling the reinforcing web: of one of said doors, the; inner.. engaging surfaces of; said 'i portions being formed on arcs so that the door;

mayfrockt vertically upon the spreader, and

means to. retain ,'theportions in operativesen'- gageinent with the web.

6, In arailway: car, apa-ir of hinged dumpL ing-,.doors, each having a body portion with a flange adjacent its perimeter,` and stiffeners extending betweenopposite corners of thev door, anda spreader Ahaving spaced apart portions, .each loosely securedl to saidnstifftheir-intersection.

WALT-ER P. MURPHY.

4. `In afrailway car,.a pair of hinged dump-l Y ing doors, eachv havin a i witha reinforcing ywegb', ing spaced apart U-shapedsportins, each.

body partprovided and a spreader 'ha-v-` 

